German Journalist On A Mission To Help Pinoy Media

THE GOOOD NEWS: German journalist Antonia Koop, of the Peace and Conflict Journalism Network (PECOJON) explains to a group of Filipino media members in Zamboanga City the importance of factual reporting in areas of conflict in the Philippines. (Zamboanga Journal)

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Zamboanga Journal / 15 Jan) A German journalist Antonia Koop braved security threats in the southern Philippines to help train Filipino media members to become more responsible and factual in reporting events in areas of conflict.

Koop, one of the founding members of the Peace and Conflict Journalism Network (PECOJON) was in Zamboanga City since Thursday and training dozens of journalists from the central and southern Philippines on how to deal with news and stories about conflicts and strife.

She said her group, backed by the German's government's International Weiterbildung und Entwicklung gGmbH (inWent), would also hold similar trainings in Mindanao and other areas in the Philippines.

"We really want to help fellow journalists and help them become more responsible and factual in their reporting of news and stories from conflict areas, like here in Mindanao, and to teach journalists how to deal with different situations," said Koop, a veteran photojournalist and videographer who covered the conflicts in Palestine, Israel, Pakistan and Iraq, among others.

PECOJON is an international network of journalists from Africa, Asia and Europe who work in, with, and about, conflict, but recently included writers and filmmakers, and educators as well, who have committed themselves to solidarity and networking for a constructive conflict reporting.

"The network is a platform for investigation and practical support but also base for common projects, trainings and discussion," she said.

InWEnt, on the other hand, is an organization for international human resources development, advanced training and dialogue. It was established through a merger of Carl Duisberg Gesellschaft e.V. and the German Foundation for International Development.

It also put up a regional office in Manila that will be responsible for InWEnt activities in the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia.

Koop said most of PECOJON's members are volunteers and veteran of news coverage in conflict areas around the world and whose only goal is to help teach other journalists and share their real experience.

"We simply help each other and promote responsible journalism around the world," she said.

"We believe that a strong, free and independent media is the voice of the people, the eye of justice, and protector of the future. We commit ourselves to the principles of peace journalism to create transformation for a responsible journalism," one Filipino PECOJON member said.

Local media groups lauded PECOJON for bringing the training to Zamboanga City, where many journalists have no or limited trainings on how to cover stories in conflict areas.

Zamboanga City has been bombed many times in the past by the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group and at least two 3 local journalists had been killed the past years because of their jobs. And dozens of Filipino journalists were murdered since democracy was restored in 1986.